# Grant proposal
Use this method to build a persuasive, compliant proposal from the actual funding opportunity and supplied applicant evidence. A grant proposal must show why the work matters, why the approach is credible, what will be delivered, and how the proposal satisfies the funder's published requirements.
Intake and evidence
Start with the current funding opportunity, applicant eligibility evidence, evaluation criteria, submission instructions, project evidence, team roles, budget constraints, and any prior reviewer comments. Cite the opportunity and other non-trivial external claims inline, then list sources at the end.
If the opportunity or eligibility facts are missing, ask for them or provide a clearly provisional outline. Do not state eligibility, a page limit, budget rule, partner commitment, preliminary result, or compliance status without a source.
Workflow
1. **Map requirements.** Turn the opportunity into a checklist of required sections, evaluation criteria, attachments, format limits, deadlines, and unresolved items. 2. **Frame the case.** State the problem, significance, beneficiaries, gap, proposed contribution, and why the applicant can deliver it. 3. **Build the plan.** Define objectives or aims, methods, milestones, decision points, risks, alternatives, governance, measurable outcomes, feasibility or preliminary evidence, rigor and reproducibility, and data or regulatory requirements when applicable. 4. **Align evidence and impact.** Connect claims to supplied or cited evidence; explain scientific, technical, educational, societal, or translational value in the terms the funder uses. 5. **Build a defensible budget.** Tie requested costs to the workplan, identify assumptions and unconfirmed costs, and check arithmetic and funder rules. 6. **Review before delivery.** Trace every requirement to a proposal location, check consistency across narrative, timeline, budget, and attachments, and label open compliance questions.
Proposal structure
Adapt headings to the funding opportunity. A typical structure is:
```markdown # [Proposal title] ## Summary ## Problem and significance ## Objectives or aims ## Approach and feasibility ## Workplan, milestones, and risk management ## Team, resources, and partnerships ## Expected outcomes and impact ## Budget and justification ## Attachments and compliance ## Requirements checklist and open items ## Sources ```
Use the relevant public agency guidance in `references/` only after verifying that it applies to the current opportunity; published program rules change. The templates in `assets/` are starting structures, not evidence of current requirements.
Agency guidance and progressive disclosure
Use the agency-specific guidance and templates only when the current opportunity names that agency or program. First load the general intake, requirements mapping, and proposal structure above; then consult only the relevant public reference for agency terminology, review criteria, or template conventions. Verify applicability, effective date, and the current opportunity before relying on any guidance. Do not copy a whole agency reference into the proposal or infer a deadline, eligibility rule, page limit, budget ceiling, or attachment requirement from a stale template.
For resubmissions, preserve the reviewer comment, identify the exact response, and distinguish a revised argument from a newly supported result. Check the narrative, milestones, budget, team, and attachments for mutually consistent scope. Put unresolved compliance items in the checklist rather than silently resolving them.
Boundaries
- Draft and revise; do not submit, certify, or sign an application. - Use conditional wording for planned or pending partnerships and resources. - Propose figures or diagrams when they clarify the plan, but use only a separately authorized host capability to create or insert them. - Preserve reviewer feedback and explain how a resubmission changes the case. - This method drafts a proposal and a compliance-gap list; the applicant or authorized reviewer owns eligibility, certification, submission, and funder communication.